The term "Code Junkie" is the name of the company that I saw on the package in my local discount game store, and all the UK-basedshoppingwebpages that refer to the Datel program use the same box graphic as what I saw in my US-based shopping mall. So to me, they're the same thing.
I doubt that you'll see KR songs that skew to the 1930's or 1940's, seeing as the majority of PS2 game players are probably not in that target audience. Of course, Konami and PS2 have a huge benefit of being able to draw from the catalog of Sony artists (not actually checking to see if Avril, REM, and Cher -- artists currently on the KR game -- are on any of the Sony-related labels). Cross-promotion can be a wonderful cost-reducing thing for everyone.
A side note about my earlier question on the "karaoke DVD/video game microphone adapter" -- it looks like it's just a box that sits between the audio in/out feeds from the DVD/game system and the stereo. I wouldn't want to feed the video through it (looks like it supports composite only, not s-video or component), and I question if I would want to permanently pass all audio through the box as well in case that would affect any Dolby/surround game features from other non-karaoke games... aside from the fact that I'd want to run audio through the optic cable instead of the RCA cables. So, back to the original question: any other suggestions for connecting microphones to a stereo while still allowing DVD audio to play?
After having an oppotunity this week to play both Karaoke Revolution and Xbox Music Mixer with a bunch of people who really don't get into karaoke in the first place, here's my take on this topic:
You can't have enough of these, and if you have either a PS2, an XBox, or even just a plain-old DVD player, you do not need to have a separate karaoke machine in your house too.
That said, the PS2 Karaoke Revolution game received the biggest raves and participation from my crowd when compared to the XBox Music Mixer. I think it had to do more with the concept of giving people a reason to grab the microphone and sing -- people weren't trying to sing well, they were just trying to sing to match the scoring indicator (although those who DID sing well scored higher in the game). The fun part was that the game could still be played and be fun (that is, score points) even if you were a really, really bad singer. This, along with the interesting background graphics truly made this a game environment rather than a "who wants to sing" piece. And while the headset microphone is a bit flimsy and not really geared to a human adult head, it served its purpose and didn't really get in the way of the singing-as-game process.
When we switched to the Xbox Music Mixer, it was more of a generic karaoke experience, and therefore a bit of a turnoff for those people who were more shy or uninterested in actually singing. Of course, with the ability to add any number of relatively new XMM songs to the system for $2-a-pop via the Internet, the XMM makes for a valid karaoke machine for those people who don't currently have one.
So what's my plan now?
I'm certainly going to get any Konami expansion packs for Karaoke Revolution that get released. Yes, the crowd loved this game that much for me to do this.
I'm going to look into the Code Junkie karaoke package for the PS2 available at my local discount software shop for around $30, featuring 3 CDs of music.
And for those times when I don't feel like firing up the PS2 or the XBox to sing karaoke, I'll plop a karaoke DVD in and let people sing along with those -- no karaoke machine is necessary. Now if only I could figure out the best way to pump the DVD audio and a vocal mic through my standard A/V receiver, then I'll have all my bases covered -- suggestions appreciated, although I was just going to hook up my tape deck and plug mics into that, then pressing REC-PAUSE to activate the mics and hope the audio feeds through. Unless I should buy this nifty gadget which seems to address the problem.
"OOh, Ooh, one of those ms. pac-man galaga machines. Those are hot!"
(Ignoring the soon-to-come MAME commentary for the time being...)
No big deal - you can pick one of those up brand-new for around $2500-$3000 from any arcade game distributor in your local area. Or the new Space Invaders unit. Or the Centipede/Millipede/Missle Command combo. Of whatever they'll be coming out with next.
Obviously, prices will vary based on the condition of the machines and the availability/demand for each title, along with the quality of the bidders and the auction company running the show that day. Working vids are going to run in the $300-$1000 range, and pins in good condition usually run $500-$3000.
Generally speaking, Ms Pac Man and Galaga are the most popular machines at these things, and if you're willing to put in a little elbow grease, you might be able to get one much much less. Repairing vids isn't that difficult; rebuilding pins is a bit more complicated but not impossible (hell, if I can figure out how to fix my pinball machine, anyone can).
Getting your friends to actually put quarters into the machines to play instead of demanding the machines be set on Free Play is an entirely different matter and an exercise left for the student.
If the spam is from a legitimate company, then instead of the generic tagline at the end of the spam that says:
Your email address was obtained from a third-party, and you agreed with that third-party to have your email address shared with their marketing partners.
...why can't we require the spam to actually state who their marketing partners are/were?
This could have the added benefit of...
if we did not choose to have our information shared at the time, it gives us an opportunity to go back to the "marketing partner" and update our records
If it's a website that we HAVE agreed to share with marketing partners, then it might actual generate sales for the spammer seeing as they'd gain positive buzz from the association with their "marketing partner".
I could see this backfiring if illegal spam falsely states that they received the email addresses from big companies, like MSFT or HP. Some doublechecking and whatnot should be included.
Perhaps if companies that sell email addresses included a single unique field in the information that's sold -- a field that would specifically be filled out and required for any emails that were sent. Then, if we received a spam that contained that unique piece of information we would know that the spam was, in fact, generated from the agreement with the "marketing partner". If the spam does not contain that info-nugget yet claims to be from the same "marketing partner", then we know that the spam is a bunch of hooey.
Video game soundtracks are nothing new, especially in the Japanese markets. And finally the US game publishers are starting to catch on.
Ignoring the obvious CD releases to tie into the Dance Dance Revolution franchise, others here have already mentioned the wonderful GTA: Vice City boxset as well as the FF soundtrack.
We'll be seeing more of this as labels and artists see the crossover potential. EA released the soundtrack CD to SSX3, featuring "exclusive" cheat codes and music by The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, and N.E.R.D., while Hypnotix went for the MTV video angle for the band Diffuser on their CD soundtrack to OUTLAW VOLLEYBALL.
Even in the late 80's, music started to become more important to the players. Remember SEGA's OUTRUN? One "wow" feature was the ability to change the station you were listening to in the car at the start of the game.
Just as we're seeing successful movie soundtrack tie-ins (insert example here), I'm sure that we'll be seeing more and more gaming companies deciding that it's just another aspect of their marketing push.
I recall that when Lucas was shopping the original script around, nobody wanted to do it. Then the studio said to Lucas, "we'll do it, but only this middle part here - cause that's the most interesting part of the story". And that's what became "Episode IV: A New Hope". (Who would go see a sci-fi movie called "A New Hope"?) In any case, let's give kudos to the studio exec who made that decision for us.
Episodes 1-3 never had to be done, but once Lucas decided to do episode 1, he had to finish the other two. Otherwise, we'd all be sitting here wondering what happened along the way, and wondering when we'd see a movie-of-the-week adaptation of "Splinter of the Mind's Eye".
So really, the question is whether the much rumored - and denied rumored - episodes 7-9 ("the rebuilding of the alliance", or whatever happens after everyone's all happy again) will ever be made.
Toys R Us completely misses the adult-toy (no, not THAT adult-toy) market. Yes, they're a mass-merchandiser and we can't expect them to carry every game available, but there should be some sort of quality control in the games they select to sell. There's a reason that Cranium was a huge seller... and initially only available in Starbucks stores. If TrU decided to carry even 5-10 games listed in the GAMES 100, that would be a start.
Not exactly a board game, but fun anyway: Carabande, which may be out of print but might be brought back by a French company.
If you can find it, check out Quandary. Games are relatively quick.
Games like FLUXX (highly under-appreciated) and GUILLOTINE are great for larger numbers of players. Don't forget APPLES TO APPLES, which we play in more of a "game show format" than strictly by the rules.
It was bound to happen eventually. I understand how Virgin or Earthlink would get into the music distribution/download business (one being both an ISP and a music publisher, and the other being just an ISP), but as soon as non-Internet companies get into the business, there's something wrong.
I think that the music download market can only handle 3-5 players. Any more than that and we'll be looking at another dot-com bust as consumers get confused over which service they should use.
Those people who are looking at the PSX as the "next generation gaming system" to upgrade from their current PS2s are not the audience Sony is looking for with the PSX.
The PSX is aimed at those people who have not purchased a PS2 yet and are thinking of not buying one until the PS3 comes out... which won't be until 2005 (so everyone's been saying). Those people who are not early adopters.
Yes, the diehard PS2 owners and gaming early-adopters are probably dying to get their hands on the "next new thing" from Sony. To them, I say wait for the PSP or the PS3. As many of you have already said - you already have DVD burners, TiVo units, or other media centers. Why would you want this as well?
So the PSX doesn't have all the features that we would want (and I agree, networking and MP3 ability shouldn't have been stubbed), but for someone who doesn't even have a PS2, it's certainly better than nothing.
Analysts have said that digital cameras and other gadgets are what's driving computer sales, not vice-versa. I suspect the same philosphy and target audience is where Sony is heading with the PSX - people who haven't quite gotten onto the electronics/media center bandwagon and are looking for an easy entry point.
I know -- that's why I still use the trusty VCR for the NBC "Must Sleep Through" Thursday night programming, and TiVo for the important stuff.
NBC's little programming manuever was so weird, TiVo customer service received a ton of phone calls asking why TiVo didn't record "ER" or "Friends" at the beginning of the season. TiVo had to put out a service bulletin/announcement about NBC's reworking and to remind folks to take a look at their season passes and To Do lists to verify what would actually be recorded.
There really are 3 programming strategies at work here:
Normal Programming: Networks show a program, and then repeat it during the summer. Or the program is in syndication (or will be soon). Solution: if you miss one airing, you'll be able to catch it again whenever. No big deal, other than watercooler talk. Example: Friends, Everyone Loves Raymond.
Series Event Programming: Network series that do not repeat, and if you miss one episode, you're out of the loop. Critically important to watch in the order they appear, especially if you want to avoid spoilers. Example: Survivor, 24, Joe Millionaire, Big Brother. Most cult-followed shows (Alias, X-Files, Buffy, et al) would normally fall in this category, aside from the fact that these shows do get repeated on a regular basis, as opposed to the more specialized programming.
The repeat ad-naseum method -- perfect for TiVo users who know that if they miss one airing of a program tonight, you can still catch the 11pm or 1am showing and have it waiting for you in the morning. My favorite cable programming manuever as it doesn't tie me down to a specific time to watch a program. Best part is that it lets you timeshift programs out of primetime, freeing up TiVo for other important recording. Examples: Sportscenter, and almost anything on MTV, TLC, Discovery Channel.
18-to-34 year-old males, the demographic segment most likely to own a TiVo
Friends of mine have noticed that the "bloop-bloop" noise that TiVo makes for its remote operations has been scientifically tuned to the male's ear. When I have people over to the house and fast-forward through something, all the guys' heads turn at the bloop-bloop noise, while all the women barely notice.
But I digress...
Even the basic cable mainstays are sissifying their shows-- I used to watch Discovery and TLC a lot, now practically all...
TLC and Discovery air their 'decorating' and 'dating' shows during the day when stay-at-home moms are most likely to be watching. They're just trying to compete with soap operas and talk shows. At night, Discovery and TLC air things like "Poker Showdown" and "Monster Machines". Even Bravo (an "artsy" channel mostly aimed at women) is getting into the poker/gambling area with their Celebrity Poker Showdown series starting this week. No, networks and their programming aren't the ones that are keeping people from buying TiVo.
And NBC has been doing fine against MNF with Fear Factor and Las Vegas, 2 programs aimed at the same audience that football wants. The problem with MNF is that for the most part, the only people who care about the game are those people (a) in the fan base for the 2 teams playing, (b) those with playoff issues on the outcome, (c) fantasy football nuts, or (d) people with money riding on the game. I watch all the games every Sunday (whether at home or at the local bar), but I couldn't tell you the last time I made it a point to sit and watch a MNF game.
Besides, crappy programming is what TiVo *wants* the networks to throw out there. It forces TiVo users to be selective in what they choose to record and watch on their own time. Don't like what's currently airing? Then let's see what's on the TiVo from last week!
Spike TV running the James Bond marathon is just stealing from TBS's playbook usually scheduled for February. But with the JB box set just released, those folks who are really into Bond have the ability to run their own marathon.
TiVo's biggest hurdle to overcome was availability. You heard about it, but couldn't find a store that carried it. Now they're in stock most of the time at the local store.
TiVo should have given BestBuy or CircuitCity 100 units per store to sell on Black Friday at a cheap-cheap-cheap price. Figure an average of 5 stores per major market, and limit it to the top 20 markets = 10,000 units. Sell the 40-hour units for $129 instead of $199 (or $149 with rebate) and bring it closer to the price-point that DVD players were 2 years ago). TiVo might still make money on the units, but definitely will make it on the subscriptions. 10,000 additional subscribers = between $1.5m and $2.4m revenue.
I don't see what the big deal is. The networks are already handling TiVo in their own way.
For example, NBC has
adjusted the schedule of their Thursday lineup by a minute or two so the Season Passes won't work. (For example, if you have a Season Pass for "ER" which starts at 9:58p, then TiVo will not automatically record "CSI" which runs from 9p-10p.)
And I recall that one of the networks (NBC or ABC, if I recall correctly -- but I couldn't track down the article) did a study about commercial skipping on TiVo and came to the conclusion that people fast-forwarding through the quick subliminal commercial images that flash on the screen inbetween their shows are just as effected as if the viewer watched the entire commercial at regular speed. The network's thought was that TiVo wouldn't be a problem any more than VCRs were. It's the ReplayTV automatic "skip commercial" technology that the networks had problems with.
IIRC: Satan's Hollow was like Galaga/Space Invaders, but the object was to build a bridge to escape to the next level while you shot down the flying insects that carried the bridge parts.
The Yahoo! article says "the next version of the Xbox" will be on sale in 2004. Of course, this raises the question of whether MSFT is talking about the new revamped Xbox or the Xbox2.
Today's version of the article in this morning's newspaper says the following:
"MSFT selected IBM to supply the processor for its next generation Xbox game machine. The second version of the popular machine is expected to be on the market during 2005. The new Xbox is MSFT's next weapon in its battle with game machine leader Sony."
So which do we believe?
I agree -- PS3 and X2 emulators haven't even gotten to EA yet (or at least, not that they've announced).
Either someone working in MSFT marketing/press is wrong, the folks at IBM have a different expectation of when X2 is being released, or that reporter Guy Smiley was wrong.
Or, MSFT has been secretly replacing everyone's regular coffee with Folger's crystals, and ARE aiming for the surprise attack... er, release date of Fall 2004.
Nobody expects the microsoft inquisition! Their chief weapon is surprise... surprise and fear... their two weapons are fear and surprise... and ruthless efficiency.... Their three weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...
According to the Yahoo version of the article that I read, The next version of Xbox is expected to be announced in January by Microsoft founder and Chairman Bill Gates and to be on sale next fall ahead of the holidays, according to Doherty..
So does this mean that we should expect...
Xmas 2004: XBox2
Xmas 2004: PSP
"sometime in 2004": PSX
Xmas 2005... if we're lucky: PS3
'cause if so then I'll need to make sure that I have $299 for the XBox2, $700 for the PSX, $200 for the PSP, and enough time to save up for the $299 PS3. And don't forget your $50 per game for each system. (yeah, I know the PSX will play the PS2 games, and the Xbox2/PS3 are supposed to be backwards compatible, but still, that's a lot of dough to be shelling out in one year for new electronics...)
3 years ago, I ended up writing a "Wheel of Fortune" game inside Powerpoint, complete with the music and sound effects, the spinning wheel with different values, 3 players playing over 3 rounds (with the winner's score being added to the big prize bucket at the end of the game), and pulling puzzles (with categories) out of a database.
You know, like the TV game show used to be before it went all weird.
And I also ended up writing both a Hollywood Squares and WWTBAM game inside Powerpoint as well. I'm thinking of making a "Press Your Luck" board next.
I didn't see anyone else mention it, but when EA releases SSX3 this week, you can also buy the companion CD soundtrack. Best Buy even had it advertised in this week's flyer.
Also, the soundtrack to XBox's OUTLAW VOLLEYBALL is available (with lots of label and music-video support for the band Diffuser who appears on the disc).
Going forward, as long as the game publishers license/create music that is accessible to the "average joe" (that is, radio-friendly with artists that are touring or artists that folks have usually heard of), then I believe we'll see more game soundtracks. I don't think the US is ready for the extended mix of "Super Mario Kart - Start Screen" just yet.
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I doubt that you'll see KR songs that skew to the 1930's or 1940's, seeing as the majority of PS2 game players are probably not in that target audience. Of course, Konami and PS2 have a huge benefit of being able to draw from the catalog of Sony artists (not actually checking to see if Avril, REM, and Cher -- artists currently on the KR game -- are on any of the Sony-related labels). Cross-promotion can be a wonderful cost-reducing thing for everyone.
A side note about my earlier question on the "karaoke DVD/video game microphone adapter" -- it looks like it's just a box that sits between the audio in/out feeds from the DVD/game system and the stereo. I wouldn't want to feed the video through it (looks like it supports composite only, not s-video or component), and I question if I would want to permanently pass all audio through the box as well in case that would affect any Dolby/surround game features from other non-karaoke games... aside from the fact that I'd want to run audio through the optic cable instead of the RCA cables. So, back to the original question: any other suggestions for connecting microphones to a stereo while still allowing DVD audio to play?
You can't have enough of these, and if you have either a PS2, an XBox, or even just a plain-old DVD player, you do not need to have a separate karaoke machine in your house too.
That said, the PS2 Karaoke Revolution game received the biggest raves and participation from my crowd when compared to the XBox Music Mixer. I think it had to do more with the concept of giving people a reason to grab the microphone and sing -- people weren't trying to sing well, they were just trying to sing to match the scoring indicator (although those who DID sing well scored higher in the game). The fun part was that the game could still be played and be fun (that is, score points) even if you were a really, really bad singer. This, along with the interesting background graphics truly made this a game environment rather than a "who wants to sing" piece. And while the headset microphone is a bit flimsy and not really geared to a human adult head, it served its purpose and didn't really get in the way of the singing-as-game process.
When we switched to the Xbox Music Mixer, it was more of a generic karaoke experience, and therefore a bit of a turnoff for those people who were more shy or uninterested in actually singing. Of course, with the ability to add any number of relatively new XMM songs to the system for $2-a-pop via the Internet, the XMM makes for a valid karaoke machine for those people who don't currently have one.
So what's my plan now?
No big deal - you can pick one of those up brand-new for around $2500-$3000 from any arcade game distributor in your local area. Or the new Space Invaders unit. Or the Centipede/Millipede/Missle Command combo. Of whatever they'll be coming out with next.
Or you could go to an arcade auction and try to buy an original game unit for much less. Some example prices:
- Ms Pac Man - $500
- Galaga - $500
- Golden Tee - $800
- Medieval Madness pinball - $4000
Obviously, prices will vary based on the condition of the machines and the availability/demand for each title, along with the quality of the bidders and the auction company running the show that day. Working vids are going to run in the $300-$1000 range, and pins in good condition usually run $500-$3000.Generally speaking, Ms Pac Man and Galaga are the most popular machines at these things, and if you're willing to put in a little elbow grease, you might be able to get one much much less. Repairing vids isn't that difficult; rebuilding pins is a bit more complicated but not impossible (hell, if I can figure out how to fix my pinball machine, anyone can).
Getting your friends to actually put quarters into the machines to play instead of demanding the machines be set on Free Play is an entirely different matter and an exercise left for the student.
This could have the added benefit of...
- if we did not choose to have our information shared at the time, it gives us an opportunity to go back to the "marketing partner" and update our records
- If it's a website that we HAVE agreed to share with marketing partners, then it might actual generate sales for the spammer seeing as they'd gain positive buzz from the association with their "marketing partner".
I could see this backfiring if illegal spam falsely states that they received the email addresses from big companies, like MSFT or HP. Some doublechecking and whatnot should be included.Perhaps if companies that sell email addresses included a single unique field in the information that's sold -- a field that would specifically be filled out and required for any emails that were sent. Then, if we received a spam that contained that unique piece of information we would know that the spam was, in fact, generated from the agreement with the "marketing partner". If the spam does not contain that info-nugget yet claims to be from the same "marketing partner", then we know that the spam is a bunch of hooey.
Ignoring the obvious CD releases to tie into the Dance Dance Revolution franchise, others here have already mentioned the wonderful GTA: Vice City boxset as well as the FF soundtrack.
We'll be seeing more of this as labels and artists see the crossover potential. EA released the soundtrack CD to SSX3, featuring "exclusive" cheat codes and music by The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, and N.E.R.D., while Hypnotix went for the MTV video angle for the band Diffuser on their CD soundtrack to OUTLAW VOLLEYBALL.
Even in the late 80's, music started to become more important to the players. Remember SEGA's OUTRUN? One "wow" feature was the ability to change the station you were listening to in the car at the start of the game.
Just as we're seeing successful movie soundtrack tie-ins (insert example here), I'm sure that we'll be seeing more and more gaming companies deciding that it's just another aspect of their marketing push.
Episodes 1-3 never had to be done, but once Lucas decided to do episode 1, he had to finish the other two. Otherwise, we'd all be sitting here wondering what happened along the way, and wondering when we'd see a movie-of-the-week adaptation of "Splinter of the Mind's Eye".
So really, the question is whether the much rumored - and denied rumored - episodes 7-9 ("the rebuilding of the alliance", or whatever happens after everyone's all happy again) will ever be made.
JOTTO is also good for two people, sort of like MASTERMIND with words instead of colors.
Still, there's nothing wrong with a little Mexican Train dominos or Euchre for whiling away a long holiday weekend.
Why, oh why, does Coca-Cola think that they should be in this music download business (currently available in the UK only, but that could change)?
I think that the music download market can only handle 3-5 players. Any more than that and we'll be looking at another dot-com bust as consumers get confused over which service they should use.
Those people who are looking at the PSX as the "next generation gaming system" to upgrade from their current PS2s are not the audience Sony is looking for with the PSX.
The PSX is aimed at those people who have not purchased a PS2 yet and are thinking of not buying one until the PS3 comes out... which won't be until 2005 (so everyone's been saying). Those people who are not early adopters.
Yes, the diehard PS2 owners and gaming early-adopters are probably dying to get their hands on the "next new thing" from Sony. To them, I say wait for the PSP or the PS3. As many of you have already said - you already have DVD burners, TiVo units, or other media centers. Why would you want this as well?
So the PSX doesn't have all the features that we would want (and I agree, networking and MP3 ability shouldn't have been stubbed), but for someone who doesn't even have a PS2, it's certainly better than nothing.
Analysts have said that digital cameras and other gadgets are what's driving computer sales, not vice-versa. I suspect the same philosphy and target audience is where Sony is heading with the PSX - people who haven't quite gotten onto the electronics/media center bandwagon and are looking for an easy entry point.
NBC's little programming manuever was so weird, TiVo customer service received a ton of phone calls asking why TiVo didn't record "ER" or "Friends" at the beginning of the season. TiVo had to put out a service bulletin/announcement about NBC's reworking and to remind folks to take a look at their season passes and To Do lists to verify what would actually be recorded.
There really are 3 programming strategies at work here:
Friends of mine have noticed that the "bloop-bloop" noise that TiVo makes for its remote operations has been scientifically tuned to the male's ear. When I have people over to the house and fast-forward through something, all the guys' heads turn at the bloop-bloop noise, while all the women barely notice.
But I digress...
Even the basic cable mainstays are sissifying their shows-- I used to watch Discovery and TLC a lot, now practically all...
TLC and Discovery air their 'decorating' and 'dating' shows during the day when stay-at-home moms are most likely to be watching. They're just trying to compete with soap operas and talk shows. At night, Discovery and TLC air things like "Poker Showdown" and "Monster Machines". Even Bravo (an "artsy" channel mostly aimed at women) is getting into the poker/gambling area with their Celebrity Poker Showdown series starting this week. No, networks and their programming aren't the ones that are keeping people from buying TiVo.
And NBC has been doing fine against MNF with Fear Factor and Las Vegas, 2 programs aimed at the same audience that football wants. The problem with MNF is that for the most part, the only people who care about the game are those people (a) in the fan base for the 2 teams playing, (b) those with playoff issues on the outcome, (c) fantasy football nuts, or (d) people with money riding on the game. I watch all the games every Sunday (whether at home or at the local bar), but I couldn't tell you the last time I made it a point to sit and watch a MNF game.
Besides, crappy programming is what TiVo *wants* the networks to throw out there. It forces TiVo users to be selective in what they choose to record and watch on their own time. Don't like what's currently airing? Then let's see what's on the TiVo from last week!
Spike TV running the James Bond marathon is just stealing from TBS's playbook usually scheduled for February. But with the JB box set just released, those folks who are really into Bond have the ability to run their own marathon.
TiVo's biggest hurdle to overcome was availability. You heard about it, but couldn't find a store that carried it. Now they're in stock most of the time at the local store.
TiVo should have given BestBuy or CircuitCity 100 units per store to sell on Black Friday at a cheap-cheap-cheap price. Figure an average of 5 stores per major market, and limit it to the top 20 markets = 10,000 units. Sell the 40-hour units for $129 instead of $199 (or $149 with rebate) and bring it closer to the price-point that DVD players were 2 years ago). TiVo might still make money on the units, but definitely will make it on the subscriptions. 10,000 additional subscribers = between $1.5m and $2.4m revenue.
Of course, I could be wrong.
For example, NBC has adjusted the schedule of their Thursday lineup by a minute or two so the Season Passes won't work. (For example, if you have a Season Pass for "ER" which starts at 9:58p, then TiVo will not automatically record "CSI" which runs from 9p-10p.)
And I recall that one of the networks (NBC or ABC, if I recall correctly -- but I couldn't track down the article) did a study about commercial skipping on TiVo and came to the conclusion that people fast-forwarding through the quick subliminal commercial images that flash on the screen inbetween their shows are just as effected as if the viewer watched the entire commercial at regular speed. The network's thought was that TiVo wouldn't be a problem any more than VCRs were. It's the ReplayTV automatic "skip commercial" technology that the networks had problems with.
(sidenote: in 1999, NBC invested money in TiVo)
IIRC: Satan's Hollow was like Galaga/Space Invaders, but the object was to build a bridge to escape to the next level while you shot down the flying insects that carried the bridge parts.
Today's version of the article in this morning's newspaper says the following:
"MSFT selected IBM to supply the processor for its next generation Xbox game machine. The second version of the popular machine is expected to be on the market during 2005. The new Xbox is MSFT's next weapon in its battle with game machine leader Sony." So which do we believe?
I agree -- PS3 and X2 emulators haven't even gotten to EA yet (or at least, not that they've announced).
Either someone working in MSFT marketing/press is wrong, the folks at IBM have a different expectation of when X2 is being released, or that reporter Guy Smiley was wrong.
Or, MSFT has been secretly replacing everyone's regular coffee with Folger's crystals, and ARE aiming for the surprise attack... er, release date of Fall 2004.
Nobody expects the microsoft inquisition! Their chief weapon is surprise... surprise and fear... their two weapons are fear and surprise... and ruthless efficiency.... Their three weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...
So does this mean that we should expect...
- Xmas 2004: XBox2
- Xmas 2004: PSP
- "sometime in 2004": PSX
- Xmas 2005... if we're lucky: PS3
'cause if so then I'll need to make sure that I have $299 for the XBox2, $700 for the PSX, $200 for the PSP, and enough time to save up for the $299 PS3. And don't forget your $50 per game for each system. (yeah, I know the PSX will play the PS2 games, and the Xbox2/PS3 are supposed to be backwards compatible, but still, that's a lot of dough to be shelling out in one year for new electronics...)I agree. Except that...
3 years ago, I ended up writing a "Wheel of Fortune" game inside Powerpoint, complete with the music and sound effects, the spinning wheel with different values, 3 players playing over 3 rounds (with the winner's score being added to the big prize bucket at the end of the game), and pulling puzzles (with categories) out of a database.
You know, like the TV game show used to be before it went all weird.
And I also ended up writing both a Hollywood Squares and WWTBAM game inside Powerpoint as well. I'm thinking of making a "Press Your Luck" board next.
I didn't see anyone else mention it, but when EA releases SSX3 this week, you can also buy the companion CD soundtrack. Best Buy even had it advertised in this week's flyer. Also, the soundtrack to XBox's OUTLAW VOLLEYBALL is available (with lots of label and music-video support for the band Diffuser who appears on the disc). Going forward, as long as the game publishers license/create music that is accessible to the "average joe" (that is, radio-friendly with artists that are touring or artists that folks have usually heard of), then I believe we'll see more game soundtracks. I don't think the US is ready for the extended mix of "Super Mario Kart - Start Screen" just yet.